? 





Class 
Book.. 



30 



Copyright N ( 



CQPXREGHT DEPOSIT. 



Spring Lodge Publications 



Philosophy of the Great Unconscious 

Science and Superstition. 

The Economy of Misery . 

Immortality . 

The Pantheist — A Quarterly . 



By Samuel Eugene Stevens, M. D, 



£ Ofefettg^ <^Ds»rr>ue! -STu^evie 



Immortality 



SPRING LODGE PRESS 

Spring Lodge 
Hartland Vermont, U. S. A. 



n 6 /1*,o;3 



^0 



^%% 



Copyright 1920 

by 

Samuel Eugene Stevens 



All Rights Reserved 



©GLA597316 



To the Connecticut River . 

Dear Old Connecticut ! — 
Unfailing source of pleasure and 

delight: — 
Reflecting back the pine-clad granite 

hills from whence ye sprang; 
Serenely winding southward to the 
sea ! 
Streams there are more classic, 

Other climes more rare — 
But nowhere stream more beautiful 
Mirrors scenes more fair ! 

Spring Lodge 
1913 



Is Man the measure of the Uni- 
verse? — Is Mind the Primal — the 
Ultimate? — Can Infinite Nature be 
expressed in terms of Consciousness? 



^W^ E WHO can rightly and clearly 
^IjT define and account for Con- 
***\ sciousness, will have rendered 
pre-eminent service to Psychological 
Science, and acquired enduring Fame. 
"Philosophy of the Great Uncon- 
scious" — recently published — is an 
effort to solve this great problem in a 
Rationalistic manner . 

It is therein maintained that Mental 
Phenomena have a purely Physical 
basis ; that Thought or Cerebration is 
in the last analysis, a Material Mode 
of Motion, Electro-atomic in nature, 
generated by Ganglia of Consciousness 
— sensitive to impressions transmitted 
thereto by external or Special Sense 
Organs, in immediate contact with 
Environment, — the prime function of 
the Central Sense Organ or Brain 
being to co-ordinate cogitate and 



Immortality 14 

control — to receive register generate 
and transmit Thought Waves, or the 
Mental Mode of Motion . 

Viewed in this light the Brain may 
be properly designated as the Com- 
pound Sense Organ of Consciousness 
or Thought-Sense, — evolved and de- 
veloped in connection with the Spec- 
ial Senses, — themselves developed by 
the various material forces and phe- 
nomena of Nature, — the combined 
functional activity of both Internal 
and External Sense Organs being 
essential to complete Consciousness . 

A true Psychology must be based 
on the Science of Biology — which 
in its broadest significance, stands for 
the study of all living things . 

A correct understanding of I^ife and 
Consciousness can only be reached by 
a careful study of their inception and 
development in primitive organisms . 



Immortality 75 

^■■f HE development of Life on our 
I 1 1 Planet must have originated 
^■^ 100 000 000 years ago, in the 
Laurentian or Post Silurian Age . 

When conditions were right, Organ- 
ic Substance was evolved from inor- 
ganic matter, and out of this, Living 
Substance arose . 

As animal and vegetable organisms 
are traced downward, they are found 
to gradually converge . . . And in 
the developments of Organic Chemis- 
try many of the distinctions between 
organic and inorganic matter have 
disappeared : — giving support to the 
affirmation that all Organic Life 
primarily arose from non living 
substance, in the Natural course of 

Cosmological Change." 

An infallible Record, found in Fos- 
siliferous Rocks — the Earth itself is 
at once the source and sepulchre of 
all Living Things . 



Immortality 16 

PROTOPLASM, the basis of all 
Organic Life, is composed of 
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, 
Nitrogen and Sulphur, — a small 
amount of mineral matter — princi- 
pally phosphates and sulphates of 
potassium, calcium, and magnesium, 
with an indefinite quantity of water . 

It is a product of the Natural vi- 
bratory action of Light, Heat, and 
Electricity on stagnant solutions of 
inorganic matter . 

The continued action of these three 
great Life-compelling Forces of Nature 
on Protoplasmic Matter produce, at 
length, Animal Life; one of the low- 
est or most simple forms being known 
as Amceba, a unicellular organism, 
from which higher multicellular or- 
ganisms are developed . 

And finally, in response to envi- 
ronment and exigencies of existence, 
and by a perfectly Natural process of 



Immortality ry 

Cell Specialization, yet more complex 
animal life is evolved, with a Nervous 
System — special sense organs and 
a Central Sense Organ or Ganglion of 
Consciousness, — the Ego . 

In thus establishing the fact of 
Natural Evolution in place of Super- 
natural Creation, Modern Biological 
Science has completely revolutionized 
Medieval Speculation — Inspiring Su- 
preme Reverence for Nature alone as 
the source of all Life and Being. 

Although the Evolutionary Order of 
Nature was taught, theoretically, by 
Greek Philosophers over two thousand 
years ago, it is only in the last half 
century that this great Cosmological 
Truth has been fully verified by Ex- 
perimental Methods . 

The impulse of Evolution inherent 
in all Nature, is potent in Mankind, 
leading from Savagery and Supersti- 
tion to Civilization and Science . 



Immortality 18 

'*JJ^ r HE oldest writings extant on the 
I J I subject of Biology are claimed 
^■^ to have been inspired by the 
"Creator" Himself and penned by 
Moses, some thousands of years B. C. 
purporting to give, not only the ori- 
gin of all Animal and Vegetable Life 
but of the whole Physical Universe . 

These writings were standard au- 
thority in all Jewish and Christian 
Schools and Colleges until the pub- 
lication of Darwin's Biological Works 
about the middle of the last century . 

At the present time, however, no 
student in pursuit of exact knowledge 
would think of consulting the Mosaic 
Record for any fact concerning the 
Origin of Life on the Earth, or for 
any Vital Truth whatsoever . And it 
is extremely doubtful if these Writ- 
ings can be found in the Reference 
room of any Biological Laboratory 
in the world todav . 



/ m m o r t a I i t y i9 

^/N STUDYING the Problems of 
t| Existence, physical or psychic, 
^-^ our appeal is to the revelations 
of Nature rather than Scripture, — to 
Science rather than Theology . 

Nothing is of any account or of any 
practical value whatever unless based 
on some known Law of Nature . 

There is nothing concerning the 
origin of the human race, — a com- 
plete and Infallible record of which 
may not be found in Nature alone . 

The testimony of Natural Facts is 
the only one by which searching 
minds can be satisfied . 

Science is bound to account for all 
phenomena of Nature in a way that 
can be clearly reasoned out and 
understood . 

Human knowledge must eventually 
become universal, when the Natural 
Sciences shall have made the com- 
pilation complete . 



Immortality 20 

£& LL phenomena of Nature, Senti- 
yUL ent and Non-sentient, Physi- 
^ ▼ cal and Psychic, result from 
Natural Causes ... In the last an- 
alysis, all Matter, all Substance, all 
Force, is some modification of atomic 
motion — correlated, reciprocal, — for- 
ever interchangeable ... In Her in- 
finite Laboratory, Nature hath power 
to evolve Sensation, and Conscious- 
ness of the same, — Reflex Irritability 
being the first step in this direction . 
Light is an emanation of the Sun, 
Thought an emanation of the Brain — 
as perfume of flower — a subtle form 
of radiant matter, or mental mode of 
motion, which Ganglia of Conscious- 
ness alone can generate . 



We conceive of things in connection 
and consonant with the Perceptive 
Senses, developed by things perceived. 



Immortality 21 

Perceptive sense proves the exist- 
ence of things perceived . . . Doubt 
not the Senses . . Pathological 

conditions niay render one or more 
of them unreliable, at times, but as a 
general rule they are to be trusted . 

Knowledge consists of impressions 
made on nerve cells of the Brain, pri- 
marily through the perceptive senses. 

All thought and effort to understand 
is disciplinary, increasing Gray Matter 
and consequent Mental Power . 



Are mental faculties in process of 
development towards wider possibili- 
ties of comprehension ? 

Are there Phenomena in Nature of 
which we are not now cognizant? 

If so, and if knowledge of such 
Phenomena is essential to human wel- 
fare, then will larger powers of sense 
perception become developed . 



The shadow of the Great U?icon- 
scious is upon us, — infinite, incom- 
prehensible ! — Desirous of knowing 
— groping, guessing, — shall we ever 
know and understand, — or are we 
stepping-stones for others — far off — 
yet to come — willing to be such, as 
others have been for us, — in the 
endless unfolding of things f 



Facts of Nature alone are worthy of 
our Supreme Thought and Devotion. 



^5^NDLESS Argumentation over 
01^' Words instead of Facts has 
^^f ever been the Vocation of 
Metaphysical Pedantry . 

Language loses its Value as a 
Vehicle of Thought unless Words 
have a Uniform Definite Meaning . 

By its Interminable Terminology 
and outrageous distortion of the Com- 
monly Accepted Meaning of Words, 
Metaphysics prevents all possibility 
of getting at Facts . 

To speak of a '* Primal Mind" is 
a piece of this Learned Claptrap ! 

A Primal Mind is a Primal Hum- 
bug ! — Mind Stuff, Stuff and Non- 
sense ! 

The term Mind can only be used 
properly, or intelligibly, in the sense 
of being a Physiological Function or 
Product of the Brain . 



Immortality 26 

^•f/T is by no means admitted that 
Hi I phenomena of Mind, or Con- 
^— " sciousness of any kind is Pri- 
mal. — Science gives no support to 
the assumption of a Higher Intelli- 
gence, or of the existence of any 
Spiritual Substance Essence or Entity 
whatsoever superior to Nature . 

We claim what all Science is clear- 
ly showing that the Great Uncon- 
scious Forces of Nature are Primary 
and Dominant and are Doing Things . 

There is no Primal Mind or Con- 
scious Power in all the unfolding life 
of Spring and Summer-time, or of the 
Fading Year — no Primal Mind or Con- 
scious Power in Immeasurable Depths 
of Space — in Sun or Stars or Revolv- 
ing Worlds — no Conscious Power in 
Crystalline Forms, or Incipient Life, 
in Wind or Cloud or falling Rain, in 
flowing Stream or never resting Sea ! 



Immortality 27 

^V^AVING a purely physical ba- 
■ FtJ s * s ' ^ n ^ is a Supplementary 
^*\ Natural Force, peculiar to 
Animal Organisms — appearing and 
disappearing with Animal Life — de- 
pendent on a Nervous System, con- 
sisting of complex ganglia, intimately 
united by Sensory and motor nerve 
fibers extending to all parts of the 
body ... A wonderful mechanism 
primarily evolved by the various 
Forces of Nature, and further devel- 
oped in response to environment and 
exigences of existence . 

A product of the Physical — the 
Psychic is conditional, finite, limited, 
selfish — a function, a phenomenon — 
fleeting, failing, passing, — with need, 
with use, — with the Organism . 

Inseparable from Animal Life — 
Consciousness has no Past no Future . 



Immortality 28 

^^NABLE to account for Con- 
nt -j sciousness, and overestimating 
^rw its significance, mankind have 
been led to suppose themselves pos- 
sessed of a Dual Nature, Physical and 
Spiritual — the latter being destined 
to survive physical dissolution . 

If this is so, it is a Fact revealed in 
Nature and discoverable by Science . 

But all Revelations and Discoveries 
thus far, clearly indicate that Con- 
sciousness depends entirely on the 
Action of the Brain — and cannot 
therefore be the action of an Im- 
material Principle . 



If there is a Future State of Per- 
sonal Consciousness for man, it can 
only occur as a Miracle — itself in- 
consistent with the Immutable Order 
of Nature — therefore utterly impos- 
sible and out of the question . 



Immortality 29 

^■THOSE holding the doctrine of 
I I I Dualism, or the existence of 
^■^ Matter and Spirit as distinct 
phenomena, have been puzzled to 
determine at what definite time in 
Embrionic Life the Spirit, so called, 
enters and takes possession of the 
Organism . 

* * # # 

Vital and Vegetative functions are 
gradually developed in utero : — the 
Special Sense Organs also, are fully 
formed before Birth and perform 
their functions as soon as they come 
in contact with the various elemental 
forces which primarily evolved them . 

Immediately after Birth the Child 
is sensitive to Light, Sound, etc, — 
that is, the Special Sense Organs 
begin to act : — consonant with 
which the Compound Sense Organ of 
Consciousness, or Ego, is gradually 
Exercised and Developed . 



Immortality jo 

^^JIOLOGICAL Science does not 

4§h| sustain the Idea or Assump- 
>^ tion of a Pre-existing Inde- 
pendent Spiritual Entity or Psychic 
Force — evolving Brain and Organs 
of Sense through which to act and 
manifest itself . . . But it does 
show, clearly and definitely, that 
different phenomena of Nature, pri- 
marily Evolved all Life — developing 
A Cerebro-Spinal Nervous System in 
conjunction with that of the whole 
Physical Organism . 

Physicists tell us all about Light 
— its source, its analysis and syn- 
thesis . . . The Biologist has traced 
the steps in development of Visual 
Organs by the action of Light on 
primitive animal life through a pro- 
cess of cell adaptation . . . He has 
also traced and defined the develop- 
ment and adaptability of all the other 
Senses to Natural sources — includ- 



Immortality ji 

ing the sense organ of Consciousness 
— separate from which it would have 
no function — could not have been 
developed . 

What possible use of Perceptive 
Senses without a Controlling Sense to 
utilize impressions for the good of 
the Organism ? 

Having a Physical basis and Nat- 
ural origin — when Vital Action ends 
Mental Phenomena cease . 

A part of the Great Indestructible 
Atomic — dominated by the Univer- 
sal Instinct of Self Preservation — 
it is not strange that Mankind 
Dream of Immortality? 

* * * * 

When Man can exist and subsist 
on the Imperishable then will he be- 
come Imperishable . . . Continuing 
to live on dead animal and vege- 
table matter he will be subject to 
Decay and Dissolution . 



Immortality 32 

^JTHE inception, development and 
I I inevitable decay of both phys- 
^^ ical and mental power is in- 
consistent with the idea of continued 
Consciousness . 

# * # * 

The Initiative is with the Uncon- 
scious ! — Mind is a consequence, not 
a cause . . All animate life of 

varied conditions and environment — 
of Sensibility and Sense — are alike 
products of Nature — with no Pre- 
natal or Post-mortem Personality or 
Possibility . 

Shared more or less by the entire 
Animal Kingdom — brief, uncertain, 
subordinate, — dependent on the pri- 
mary vital and vegetative processes 
of Circulation Nutrition and Procre- 
ation, — Mental Faculties are the nat- 
ural result of Evolution in the line 
of Material Well-being — not for any 
far away Super-mundane Purpose . 



I vi mortality jj 

>iiihuiw HE fact that Consciousness has 
I I been developed in so many 
^■^ Organisms would indicate that 
it is a Physical Function only . 

If it were possible or reasonable to 
conceive of Conscious phenomena pro- 
ceeding from an Incorporeal Entity 
and that Man were the only Animal 
through which it was ever manifested 
then it might be more reasonable to 
suppose a Conscious Personal Immor- 
tality of some sort . 

The relation between Mental Activ- 
ity and Cerebral Change is intimate 
and inseparable . 

Mind is the result of Cerebral Im- 
pressions — Personality, the sum of 
these Impressions . 

Large Mental Capacity is always 
attended with deep Cerebral Convo- 
lutions and more extensive Vesicular 
Matter, — which is the source of 
Nervous Power . 



^^ACTS of Nature rather than 
*iT\ the Assumptions of Theology 

**■? should be the Standard of 

Thought and Belief. 

Assurances of Immortality based on 
the Authority of a Static Religion 
can be preserved only until that 
Authority is Shattered by the Dy- 
namic Power of Science . 

The Great Elemental Unconscious 
alone is Immortal : — Evolving all — 
Absorbing all ! 



4**arHE supreme thing about Intel- 
I | I ligent Conscious Existence is, 
^^ not faith or hope in Personal 
Immortality, but a realizing sense of 
an inseparable Union and Unity with 
all Nature — "here and now". 

While Conscious it may be a Joy 
at times to Feel this Union, — when 
once Unconscious it matters not ! — 
Satisfied, in passing, to know that 
we are and always will be an Ele- 
mental Part of an Infinite, All Em- 
bracing Universe — Forever at Home ! 
— An Indestructible Part and Product 
of the Great Impersonal Unconscious! 

A part of Nature — of Earth and 
Air — of Sun and Stars : — we own 
our Kinship and claim our Heritage 
to all that is or ever was or ever 
will be — in Time and Space and all 
Eternity ! 



Immortality 36 

>jjk LL that affords Satisfaction in 

m\ Life is inseparably associated 
I** ▼ with the Physical . — Elim- 
inate Sensation and you Eliminate all 
possible Pleasure . 

All the hopes desires and impulses 
of Mankind — of all that have ever 
Lived or ever will Live — are Essen- 
tially Animal and Selfish, — compara- 
tively few Aspire or have Developed 
Capacity for any Enjoyment above 
the Sensuous . 

The governing Instincts and Mo- 
tives of all Savage Races, constitu- 
ting a large fraction of the Human 
Family, are of this nature : — not 
fit or capable of anything — of any 
Thought or Action above that of a 
Brute, — unless it be Rapine and 
Plunder . 

Fortunately for Them and for Us 
and for All Conscious Life that it 
Goes Out Forever — to be Restored 



Immortality 37 

again to the Great Elemental Un- 
conscious . . . An End of Unrest, 
of Uncertainty, of Weariness, of Pain, 
of Fear, of Bitterness, of Regret ! — 
A River hastening back to its 
Primal Source the Sea, with whatso- 
ever of Filth and Pollution — Puri- 
fied, again to rise in mist, Rainbow- 
tinted — kissing Grass and Flowers 
and Hills and far off Mountain Tops. 

— A Part of The Infinite ! — A 
Glorious Immortality ! — Forever 
Changing, but not Destroyed ! 

That the elements composing man's 
body are imperishable and will for- 
ever continue to be integral parts of 
Nature is certain . . . That his 
Mental peculiarities survive in his 
offspring, and in the influence he 
may exert over others, is positive . 

— Whether this Survival is Endless 
is Extremely Doubtful . 



Immortalit y 38 

^JV^OWEVER Attractive Life may 
*1fPI k e ' or become — however Re- 
^\ pell ant — it must Forever 
Pass. . . Poor, Apologetic, — for 
what purpose — to what End ? 

A Physical Mental and Moral In- 
consistency, — Mankind alone are 
Vile, — breaders of Vice Filth and 
Rags, — unfit for Life on Earth, 
much less for Life Hereafter ! 

Conceived in Sin, Shapen in In- 
iquity, — an Incident, an Accident, 
a Mistake, a Blunder, — the result, 
in most cases, of Blind Passion ! 

An aggregation of Habits Customs 
and Cant, — of Art and Artifice, — 
Human Life — Social, Civic and Re- 
ligious is A Sham — A Pretence — 
A Discouragement ! 

Wisdom, whether pessimistic or 
otherwise, hath truly said that the 
Day of Dissolution is Better than 
that of Birth . 



Immortality 39 

^j^fHE Remembrance of not one in 
ill a hundred thousand — either 
^■^ of Ideas or Acts — Survive 
the Generation in which they L,ive« 
What is there about any one — 
about any animal life worthy of 
Endless Perpetuity : — what Conser- 
vation or Utility in Conscious Im- 
mortality . 

It must be just as well or better 
to close our eyes at once and for- 
ever on the Intolerable Conditions of 
Existence . 

The Deep Thinkers of India and 
Wise Men of Judea thought so, ages 
ago, when Mankind had time and 
inclination to Think . 

That Twentieth Century Science 
should have reached similar conclu- 
sions is not so very "Strange or 
Appalling. " 



Immortality 40 

^^S it for the purpose of Righting 
^j Real or Imaginary Wrongs of 
^-^ the present life that a Future 
State of Existence seems needful or 
necessary ? — An Eternity in which 
to adjust the Mistakes of a moment 

— an Eternity in which to Rumi- 
nate over the Blunders of a brief 
Earthly Career of Animal Selfishness 
and Passion, much better forgotten? 

In accord with Hebrew Tradition 
and Hindo Philosophy, and the best 
Modern Thought — To Be as though 
We Had Never Been, is the Highest 
Good, the Greatest Blessing. 

From wild unrest, — from pain 
and passion, — from dreams unreal- 
ized and friendships lost, — from 
unrequited love and blighted hopes 

— from sorrow and bitterness, the 
Great Unconscious giveth Oblivion 
at last — to all . 



I m mortality 



A Moment — A Million Years 
are just the same — when 
once Unconscious ! — When 
again Compounded with the Univer- 
sal — it matters not ! 

To be Conscious for the sake of 
being Conscious — what use? 

To avoid the Unconscious from 
whence evolved — how futile ! 

An inevitable sequence — Birth 
and Death are alike perfectly Nat- 
ural phenomena . 



The Great Darkness will fall — the 
Great Silence come at last to all ! 

As Cloud Shadows drifting across 
a summer landscape leave no trace 
behind, — so Generations vanish, — 
Suns and Systems fade ! 



POOR, worn-out, tired ! — The 
Great Mother is calling — 
calling thee to Rest ... Be 
not apprehensive — hast thou done 
Well or 111 : — Restored again to 
the Elemental there will be no 
Reviewal — no Recall ! 



^NOTWITHSTANDING the vast 
H-X] progress made in Natural 
^^ Science, the Supernatural is 
still believed in : — Voices and Vis- 
ions still haunt the Imaginations 
of Men — pampering to a depraved 
mental taste for the Marvelous . 

However involved in mystery there 
never has been and never will be 
any Psychic Phenomena without a 
perfectly Natural Cause . 

If not fully able to account for a / 
Thing, we should not accept or be 
satisfied with an explanation more 
Unaccountable than the Thing Itself 
but keep on Thinking . 

We only Know that Consciousness 
is developed in association with Ani- 
mal Life, Its manifestation elsewhere 
is an Empty Dream — Discarded by 
both Science and Common-sense. 




Immortality 44 

UPERNATURALISM or any 
form of Mysticism are not 
found in the Vocabulary of 
the Natural Sciences, nor are they 
recognized by Exact Knowledge . 

If any claim to have seen or 
heard Things outside the Actual — 
witnessed psychic phenomena inde- 
pendent of the physical — it can 
be set down as the result of Fraud 
or Delusion — "The Society for Psy- 
chic Research" and Sir Oliver to 
the contrary nevertheless . 

Imagination is Such Stuff as Mani- 
acs are made of — forever on the 
border line of the Sane and Insane, 
the Conscious and Unconscious, the 
Living and the Dead . 

This Border L,ine is often indefi- 
nite and difficult to determine . 



Immortality 45 

The Investigation of Psychic Phe- 
nomena from a Spiritualistic point of 
view, while extremely fascinating, is 
apt to Unbalance the Mind . 

A Shoarless Sea — The Great Mys- 
tery Beyond invites — seeking to 
solve — unless securely Anchored 
to Reason and Common-sense, one 
may drift in Starless Night ! 

A mass of testimony is produced, 
ancient and modern, to show actual 
communication between the dead 
and the living . 

But When all these so called 
Spiritual Manifestations are watched 
and studied by unprejudiced observ- 
ers there are found to be no Facts 
that cannot be fully accounted for 
on known Laws of Nature . 

Error on the part of an observer 
is far more probable than any varia- 
tion in the regular course of Nature . 



I m mortality 46 

fi^/^O doubt there is possibility of 
*JKT Thought Transferance other 
^^ ^ than by Speech, when con- 
ditions are understood and rightly 
complied with . 

A Radiant form of Matter, Electro- 
atomic in nature, Thought may be 
transmitted direct from one Ganglion 
of Consciousness to another alike 
Responsive to mental impressions . 

Essentially a material mode of 
motion, this "mind stuff" proceeding 
from and reaching other Sensoria, 
has been Spiritualized by Mystics of 
all time, — unable or unwilling to 
account for Natural Phenomena other 
than Supernatural . 

Thus Theology and Religious Mys- 
ticism continues to Bank on an 
Incorporial Metaphysical Nonentity . 

A bewilderment ! All metaphysical 
speculation and all theological as- 
sumption are alike misleading . 



I m mortalit y 47 

^J^N nothing is the Theologico-Re- 

*m\ ligious mind more irrational 

v-^ than in the ordinary view of 

Existence, or of the reality of things . 

— A mass of Abstractions, Absurdites 
and Obscurities, — of Tradition and 
Fable, — with no clear conception or 
exact knowledge of Nature, or of the 
Universe . 

The very Life of Religious Mysti- 
cism depends upon finding a Super- 
natural explanation for all phenomena 
of Nature . . . Learning that will 
lend itself to foster and perpetuate 
any such system is Pernitious . 

As before intimated, everything 
concerning the Origin and Destiny of 
Man is clearly revealed in Nature . 

— With this Limitless Field open 
before us how can we continue to 
waste time on "The Traditions of 
the Fathers" or any kind of "Spirit- 
ism ' ' — ancient or modern . 



Immortality 48 

'^f^T is not Religious or Spiritual- 
istic Speculation but Facts of 
^-^ Nature that should engage the 
minds of men . 

The Natural Sciences furnish the 
only reliable grounds upon which to 
base conclusions . . . Whatever of 
truth may appertain to any system 
of Philosophy or Religion must ac- 
cord therewith . 

As a general thing, it may be 
said, that the more people know the 
less they believe, — the more igno- 
rant, the more credulous . 

A large majority in all Christian 
and Mohammedan countries believe 
in a Future State of Rewards and 
Punishment ... A large majority 
of mankind everywhere do not Think 
or Reason but believe as they are 
taught or told . 



Immortality 49 

^fk^OW, in order to establish the 
* JK1 Doctrine of Personal Immor- 
^ ^ tality, it must first be prov- 
en that Consciousness is due to an 
Independent Incorporial Entity. 

If the existence of a Soul Sub-^' 
stance can be demonstrated, its Past 
and Future is assured . 

Immortality can only be predicated 
of the ultimate elements of Nature. 

If Human Consciousness is Elemen- 
tal then is it Imperishable — without 
beginning and without end : — but 
to all intent and purposes, there 
was a time when we as Individuals 
did not exist, and the probabilities 
are that this State of Non-existence 
will again supervene. 

* * # # 

It was not until the time of Pla- 
to that a distinction between Mind 
and Matter, together with the Sur- 
vival of the former, was definitely 



Immortality 50 

put forward : — since when, Volumes 
have been written on "The Nature 
of the Soul" and the possibilities of 
its survival . 

Energy has been wasted in persuit 
of the Unreal, — the present made 
miserable seeking to avert imagin- 
ary ills, or to gain some uncertain 
good in the future . 

However, Religious notions of an 
Immortal Soul or of Futurity have 
now ceased to possess any Psycholog- 
ical significance with Men of Science. 
A purely Scientific Psychology has no 
concern whatever with Spiritualistic 
Conceptions : — hence the term Soul 
or Spirit has no special meaning 
distinct from Phenomena of Mind . 

The question of the Pre-existence 
or Survival of the "soul" is not a 
rational problem, because there is no 
such Thing or Entity as a Soul . 



Immortality ji 

^f/N trying to get at the Reality 
^11 of Things we should bear in 
v-# mind the fact of Infinite Con- 
tinuity: — not only of an infinite 
past but of an infinite future. 

We must also recognize the fact 
that Creative Energy is a Fundamen- 
tal Attribute of Nature. 

A Law Unto Itself! — There is no 
Personality or power superior to In- 
finite Nature. The Deep Thinkers of 
Antiquity held this view, and it is 
substantially in accord with the Best 
Thought of today. Neither Science 
or Philosophy lend support to The- 
istic conceptions of a Personal Crea- 
tor, or of an Immortal Soul. 

While no warrant can be found 
for a Future lyife, — the present con- 
ditions of the Human Race, moral 
mental and physical, may be immeas- 
urably improved by using Scientific 
Methods in Procreation . 




Immortality 52 

INCE the Affirmation of the 
Great Evolutionary and De- 
velopmental Order of Nature, 
a radical change has taken place in 
the Ideas and Estimates of Exist- 
ence, held through the Ages . 

A higher altitude has been reached : 
— A wider vision — A grander out- 
look attained . 

Not only the Scientific, but the So- 
cial, Civic, and Ethical world today, 
Think, Talk, and Act in terms of 
Evolution : — even our friends the 
Clergy — expert Opportunists — have 
" caught on" and, as usual, are 
claiming Priority. 

Evolution Accentuates a Monistic 
Philosophy ; recognizing the Monism 
of Mind and Matter and consequent 
Elemental Unity of the Universe . 

Thus the Problem of Existence 
becomes the same for Molecule 
Monera and Man . 



Immortality 53 



(8 



NLY as we know the Simple 
are we able to understand 
the Complex . . . Only by 
the study of primitive forms of Life 
has the development of higher forms 
become clearly defined . 

The Begining of Life denotes its 
End — the Source of Life presages 
its Doom: — Earth born, Earth bound! 

No sooner has matter become or- 
ganized then it begins to disorgan- 
ize: — no sooner does man commence 
to live then he begins to die ! 

The more complex the more per- 
ishable — the more simple the more 
enduring . . . Ameba, one of the 
most simple forms of animal life, 
Multiplies by Division, — thus, in 
a way, this lowly organism has 
the distinction of being Immortal in 
the Flesh, so to speak. 



Immortality 54 

^^HK period between Monera and 
I 1 Man is much greater, the dif- 
^■^ ference more marvelous than 
between man and any possible Deity. 
Therefore we may reasonably infer 
that if there be Gods or Super-men 
anywhere in the Universe they are 
products of Natural Evolution : — and 
in no wise Supernatural . 

James Mackaye, in his remarkable 
book "The Happiness of Nations" 
speaking of the utility of man, says 
"To develop a god or race of gods 
is the supreme goal of evolution, and 
an essential aim of the universe. Not 
otherwise can the means of the uni- 
verse be completely adapted to its 
end ; and if it is the aim of the uni- 
verse, it should be the aim of man. 

The human race may indeed be 
considered as occupying a stage in 
the evolution of a race of gods—" 



Immortality 53 

^Jj^OREVER moving forward — 
H^ The Great Unconscious hath 
***? evolved an organ of mind 
having immeasurable powers and pos- 
sibilities, to be used and developed . 

The result of Natural Evolution — 
there is no Psychic influence in the 
Universe superior to the Mind of 
Man ! — There is no Knowledge he 
may not acquire ; — no Wisdom he 
may not gain ; — no moral or Intel- 
lectual eminence he may not attain. 

While affirming the possible devel- 
opment of unlimited brain power in 
connection with moral and physical 
perfection — the Evolutionary Order 
of Nature does not recognize the ex- 
istence or possible evolution of any 
such thing as a Spiritual Essence or 
Entity and therefore gives no support 
to the Doctrine of Immortality . 



^^yKlTHKR Nature or Revelation 
<J] furnishes proof of Immortal- 
r* ^ ity . . . Neither Wisdom or 
Faith renders man Immortal : — in- 
sures endless existence of the Hu- 
man Mind in continuous possession 
of its Consciousness . 



^"■STHE dead know not anything ! 
I I I — Their love, and their 
^■^ hatred, and their envy, are 
now perished . 

That which befalleth the Sons 
of Men befalleth Beasts: — as the 
one dieth so dieth the other . 

They have all one Breath, or 
Soul, so that a Man hath no Pre- 
eminence above a Beast . 

For all is vanity : — all go unto 
one place : — all are of the Dust, 
and all turn to Dust again ! 

Thus sayeth the Scriptures . 



^/IMPOSSIBLE of verification, — 
^1 the pre-existence and survival 
v£J of human Consciousness has 
been a matter of conjecture by man- 
kind in all ages . 

A brief survey of ancient as of 
modern philosophic and religious 
speculation will show how varied 
and indeterminate have been the 
grounds for an affirmative position. 

While religious faith is of no sig- 
nificance whatever in determining 
Truth or getting at Facts, — yet a 
comparative study of religious belief, 
held by people of different Times 
and Civilizations, is of much inter- 
est, showing progressive development 
corresponding with wider and more 
intimate knowledge of Natural Phe- 
nomena, and of the Universe . 



Immortality 60 

^fJ^KLIKF in some form of Per- 
4b9 Sonal Immortality, although 
***r widespread, has by no means 
ever been universal . 

It varies, from belief in an indefi- 
nite conditional survival, to endless 
conscious existence — the latter being 
the legitimate sense of the term. 

Paleontology would indicate that 
some notion of a Future Life was 
entertained by the most primitive 
races of men ... In the Neolith- 
ic Period, not only the weapons and 
food placed beside the dead, but 
tombs built for them, testify to a 
belief that some at least for a time 
continued some kind of existence. 
* * ' * # 

It is not strange that Prehistoric 
Man — our Ancestry of Post Glacial 
Times — should have been led to 
Deify Phenomena of Nature, and to 
postulate a Nether World of Shades. 



Immortality 61 

/>OMMON to Primitive Races 
I of men — Belief in Immor- 

^^^ tality appears to have taken 
a more definite shape and to have 
been held more strongly by the Per- 
sians and Egyptians than by any 
other of the Earlier Civilizations. 

In fact the Doctrine of the Resur- v 
rection and a Future Life originated 
with the Persians — Ages before any 
part of Hebrew or Christian Tradition 
had been written — or dreamed of. 

The Greeks and Romans held this 
Belief very lightly, and the Jewish 
People not at all. 

It was not a part of Buddhist 
Faith, nor did it enter into the 
Philosophy of Confucianism. 

The existence of an Immortal Soul 
in Man — or of a Personal Deity 
in control of the Universe — is 
denied or ignored by both of these 
Great Ethical Systems. 



Immortality 62 

*WUE to prevailing Animism: — 
*fl -I the Savage mind ascribes a 
>^ Spirit or Soul to every phe- 
nomena of the Universe. 

Many Aboriginal Tribes do not re- 
strict a Future Life to man or even 
to animals; they believe in the rebirth 
of all Inanimate Nature as well : — 
that all things will be made anew 
and appear again in a Land of Fade- 
less Bloom — Beyond the Setting Sun. 

There are, however, Primative Peo- 
ple who have no conception of a 
Spiritual Existence or of a Supreme 
Being: — yet they possess, not on- 
ly Moral and Ethical Characteristics 
of the Highest Order, but are also 
remarkable for having formulated a 
Social System, and reached a stage 
of Physical Perfection unequaled by 
any Religious Community on Earth. 
For centuries they have lived thus — 
in Love and Peace with all mankind. 



I m mortality 63 

^V^ONG before the era of Buddh- 
^1 ism in India, speculations as 

^^r to the Future had developed 
belief in Metempsychosis, which be- 
came a fundamental doctrine of Brah- 
manism — the religion of the Priestly 
Caste among the Hindus. 

Without losing its identity, the 
Spiritual Substance, supposed to ex- 
ist in man, was thought to enter oth- 
er forms of life, higher or lower in 
the scale of being in consequence of 
deeds wrought and character formed. 

Transmigration of the Soul implied 
eternal existence before as well as 
after any appearance on earth as 
a human being. This endless round 
of existence may well have become 
intolerable to the mind of man : — 
Deliverance from which Buddhism af- 
forded relief in the hope of Nervana. 



Immortality 64. 



w 



ITH Semitic nations man's 
fate after dissolution was of 
small concern. The Baby- 
lonians and Assyrians appear to have 
believed in a semiconscious future 
existence, but with no distinctions 
based on character or conduct. 

Similar ideas of the future were 
entertained by the ancient Hebrews. 

There is no trace of a belief in 
Endless Existence — or in a Future 
State of Rewards and Punishments 
found in the earlier records of the 
Jewish People. They did not occupy 
themselves at all with the possibili- 
ties of a Future Life. Neither the 
Prophets nor Legislators or Great 
Thinkers of Israel seem to have at- 
tached any importance to the future 
of the Individual, but were concern- 
ed only for the welfare of the Race. 

A high type of piety thus flour- 
ished without Hope of Immortality. 



Immortality 65 

^■■fHE Doctrine of Personal Im- 
I I I mortality, or of a Future 
^■^ Life, is not found in "He- 
brew Tradition" nor is it held by 
Orthodox Jews of today. 

If a Future State of Rewards and 
Punishments was part of the "Orig- 
inal Plan" as nearly all Evangelical 
Christians assume, — one would sup- 
pose a matter of such vital concern, 
not only to the Jewish People but 
to all mankind, — would have been 
clearly and emphatically revealed by 
the "Creator" during the first three 
or four thousand j^ears when, accord- 
ing to the Record, in immediate con- 
trol of affairs, — promulgating Laws 
and fulminating Penalties for disobe- 
dience, — Always of a Temporal Na- 
ture, — no Heaven to gain or Hell to 
shun or Never Dying Soul to Save! 

The fact is the Doctrine is Apoc- 
ryphal — borrowed from the Persians 



Immortality 66 

and was only held by a small sect 
of the Jews after the time of the 
Babylonish Captivity. 608-538 B. C. 



9 



N the other hand, the Doctrine 
of Immortality — The Resur- 
rection of the Body and The 
Life Everlasting — has been written 
into the Creeds of Christendom ! — 
And, however Irrational or Indefensi- 
ble — is today, the leading Tenet of 
Christian Theology. 

The Doctrine is defended, not only 
by people who accept The Bible as 
authority, but by men who base their 
reasons on evidence gained by Meta- 
physical or Spiritualistic investigation. 
* # * # 

Among the most common proofs 
relied upon by the popular mind is 
a natural desire to live forever, and 
the apparent incompleteness of this 
present life. These sentiments find 



Immortality 6y 

expression in various religious form- 
ula, which the Unthinking Multitude 
accept without question. 

^ * * ?t? 

Great weight has heretofore been 
given to all Scripture in support of 
belief in Personal Immortality. But 
as a more Learned Exposition renders 
an appeal to the Old Testament of 
no avail, — it is generally the New 
Testament — and more especially the 
words ascribed to Jesus Christ Him- 
self that furnish authority. 

It is maintained, however, by Schol- 
lars who attach importance to these 
writings, that Uncertainty Exists as 
to the actual words and teachings of 
the Founder of Christianity: — Fur- 
thermore, that the Apostolic Writers, 
while denying to man Inherent Im- 
mortality — distinctly announce End- 
less Life as a Special Gift, bestowed 
by the Deity on the finally faithful. 



Immortality 68 

'^fcg'IKIvIEF in the Resurrection of 
111 9 t ^ ie ^°^y * n connection with 
^r the Doctrine of Immortality 
is held far more strongly by Christ- 
ians and Mohammedans than by any 
religious bodies of modern times. 

Although subject to grave doubts 
by some members, — it is generally 
accepted, and continues a part of the 
creed of both Moslem and Christian. 

Some maintain that all men re- 
gardless of religious belief will be 
raised from the dead, while others 
claim that only adherents of certain 
forms of religion will be deemed 
worthy to share in the Resurrection. 

Some maintain that the Resurrec- 
tion will be Psychic only, — others 
believe that it includes the Physical 
as well. Some regard the idea of a 
Resurrection in a figurative sense, — 
most religious people have hitherto 
looked upon it as being actual. 



Immortality 6<? 

ANCIENT Persia — prolific in 
Religious Sentiment — con- 
tributed the Thought of a 
Resurrection to the world. Whether 
the Idea originated with Zoroaster 
or already existed before his time, 
cannot be definitely stated. Various 
customs would seem to indicate that 
the earlier Iranian People expected a 
reconstruction of each human being 
from actual constituent parts scatter- 
ed throughout the elements. 

Among all other Civilzed Nations 
in the world at that period, with 
the exception of Egypt perhaps, the 
Idea of a Resurrection of the body 
was entirely absent. 

The Under World was looked upon 
as "The Land of no Return." 

For the multitude there was no 
expectation or hope of anything but 
a shadowy existence Beyond, Involv- 
ing neither Rewards nor Punishments. 



y 



Immortality jo 

^■■THE Greeks, more than any 
1 jl people that ever lived, fur- 
^■^ nished the world with Ideas . 
They analysed human nature more 
keenly than any, but failed to find 
an Immortal Principle . 

The speculations of Socrates and 
Plato on the subject, represent a 
critical attitude rather then positive 
acceptance, — seeking to find reas- 
onable grounds on which it might 
be maintained, if at all. 

Plato's statements are somewhat 
involved but on the negative side 
of the question . 

Socrates believed that Dissolution 
frees man from the power of the 
Natural . 

Aristotle believed in the Immor- 
tality of Intelligence, but did not 
accept the idea of life after Disso- 
lution : — With him the Soul is 
simply the Vital Principle. 



/ m m o r t a I i t y 



Pythagoras believed in the Reab- 
sorption or return of the Vital Prin- 
ciple to the Absolute and consequent 
loss of Individuality. 

From among many Great Philoso- 
phers of Ancient Greece, these few 
names, familiar to every School-boy, 
are worthy of mention, as holding 
views antagonistic to belief in Per- 
sonal Immortality. 

Although the Homeric Poems tell 
of Elysian Fields, and of a Barren 
and Cheerless Hades, — yet Greek 
Mythology puts no special emphasis 
upon a somewhat Vague and Shad- 
dowy Existence Beyond. 

The Romans, likewise, attached but 
little importance to a Future Iyife. 

While partial to the Ancestral Cult 
and to Established Customs, they were 
hospitable to all Schools of Philosophy 
and to all Religious Ideas which were 
not Subversive of Law and Order. 




Immortality J 2 

CONCERNING the attitude of 
Men in the present time — 
most Thinkers and Writers, 
outside of Religious Circles, hold a 
negative position towards the Doctrine 
— contending that the only possible 
Immortality is in Ideas and Offspring. 

The recognition of Evolution as a 
Fundamental Fact in the Economy 
of Nature, and consequent awaken- 
ing of interest in the Natural Scien- 
ces — especially that of Biology — has 
led to the Formulation of a more 
Exact Psychology — Radically incon- 
sistent with the Idea of Conscious 
Immortality, — and today the possi- 
bility of a Spiritual Existence, or of 
Thought, apart from a Brain or bodi- 
ly organism, is denied by all Great 
Students of Mental Science. 

Intelligent People everywhere, real- 
ize that Immortality has not been 
Demonstrated — as yet. 



Immortality yj 

^^■THE principle argument against 
1 I I Conscious Immortality is the 
^■^ fact that Thought is a Func- 
tion of the Brain: — when the Brain 
ceases to act Cosciousness will vanish: 
— this fact alone carries with it the 
Negation of any possible Immortality. 

Not only Consciousness but L,ife 
Itself depends on Physical Functions 
that Fail at Once — Go Out like a 
Flame — when Nutrition is Cut Off. 

All Psychic Phenomena — all Con- 
scious Iyife will cease when Physical 
Conditions that justify them cease. 
# * * * 

In any event, we may rest assured 
that the Great Unconscious Develop- 
mental Order of Nature is Supreme, 
working on through the Ages towards 
the Conservation of Totality. — That 
nothing is lost, or wasted, or "walks 
with Aimless Feet " — or Suffers — but 
Subserves the Highest Good ! 



w 



'ERE there no Ignorance there 
would be no Mystery. — 
Were there no Mystery there 
would be no Religion. 



Offspring of Ignorance — engender- 
ed by Fear! — The different kinds of 
Religion mankind have professed is 
only exceeded by the diversity of Gods 
they have worshiped . 



^■^'HE beginnings of all Reliiogus 
I | I Mythology lies back of Au- 
^■^ thentic History — and beyond 
possible credence. 

The Egyptians perhaps, more than 
any other Ancient People, postula- 
ted the existence of Divinities. — To 
the multiplication of Gods there was 
no limit. Chief among these Divin- 
ities was the Sun-God Re — source 
of all Being: Progenitor of all Liv- 
ing Things: and of all the Lesser 
Deities that crowded the Egyptian 
Pantheon. . . The oldest concep- 
tion represents the Sun-God as sail- 
ing across the heavens in a ship — 
the Bark of Dawn. At sunset He 
steped aboard another vesel — the 
Bark of Darkness, which bore Him 
back from the west to the east 
during the night. 



Immortality j8 

Legend tells how he rose as a babe 
from a Lotus-flower that floated on 
the Primeval Sea. Another Legend 
relates his Act of Self -procreation. 

According to Tradition it was not 
uncommon for the Gods to consort 
with the wives and daughters of 
men. Some of the most renowned 
personages of antiquity are said to 
have been thus begotten. . . In 
fact no one was thought capable of 
doing Great Things unless he was a 
God, or the Son of a God. 



'•f/N the remotest period of their 
history the Egyptians believed 
^-J in a Future State of Rewards 
and Punishments, based on the meta- 
physical view that the Human Soul is 
of the Divine Substance — an emena- 
tion from a Primal Cosmic Soul — and 
on the ethical view that the present 



Immortality 70 

life is a probationary period in which 
moral fitness for reabsorption into the 
Universal Soul, or Divine Substance 
may be attained. 

At death the Spirit descended to 
the Under World for Judgement be- 
fore the Supreme Tribunal of Osiris, 
God of the Dead. The Good were 
permitted to dwell with the Gods, 
while the Wicked were consigned to 
firy torments amid perpetual darkness. 

It seems to have been believed by 
many, that after the lapse of ages, 
the Sqirit would again return to the 
Body, which was therefore carefully 
Embalmed. . . The assurances of a 
Future Life for those properly Em- 
balmed was very strong; whether the 
common masses, who were too poor 
to pay the cost of Embalming were 
thought to long survive Physical Dis- 
solution is doubtful. 



Immortality 80 

ZgY CONSCIOUS Personal Immor- 
al I tality was supposed to super- 

^^r vene only with the Reunion 
of Soul and Body at the time of the 
Resurrection. . . The Doctrine of 
Metempsychosis, held by the Egyp- 
tians, imposed a Period of Purgation 
after Physical Dissolution — in which 
the Soul became fitted for Reembody- 
ment — or Reabsorption. 

Tombs were the earliest Temples 
and the Ancestral Cult the earliest 
form of Divine Worship. . . This 
Cult as the basis of Hope for Sur- 
vival, maintained itself to the latest 
period of Egyptian Chronology. 

The Pyramids of Egypt were 
Tombs — built for Kings. It is said 
there is still to be seen in the mid- 
dle of the largest, an empty Sepul- 
chre: — once occupied by a Rameses 
or Pharaoh — waiting — alone in this 
Vast Mausoleum, the Souls return. — 



Immortality 81 

^J^ENEration of the Dead and de- 

\r\ sire for Immortality led to the 
^^ art of Embalming and construc- 
tion of Costly Sepulchral Monuments. 

As well known, the Ruins of Ancient 
Egypt have been ransacked, her Tombs 
and Temples profanely plundered to en- 
rich the Museums of the whole world. 
— The resting place of her most illustri- 
ous dead have been impiously invaded 
and their Embalmed Remains exposed 
to the Idle Gaze of ths Multitude. 

There is this to be offered, however 
in Extenuation of such Sacrilege: — 
the Old Egyptian Race and Religion 
are now Extinct: — furthermore Egyp- 
tian Remains are not alone Objects of 
Curiosity — but are of much Educa- 
tional Value. — 

That Modern Metropolis or Great 
Seat of Learning is indeed destitute 
which is not in possession of an 
Egyptian Obelisk or Sarcophagus. 



Immortality 82 

'■J^'GYPT was known to all the world 

H|r^ in early times, as the most cele- 

^^t brated School for Wisdom and 

for all Rare and Valuable Knowledge. 

The Ancient Egyptians were Indig- 
enous; having a National Existence of 
more than Ten Thousand Years. They 
were the first people who rightly un- 
derstood the True Principles of Gov- 
ernment; — they devoted their highest 
efforts and best thought to the improve- 
ment of Mankind — everywhere. — 

While the Religious System they 
evolved has gone to decay long since 
— the Arts and Sciences they elabor- 
ated and fostered — the Wisdom and 
Learning acquired and spread, yet sur- 
vives to lead and illuminate the world. 

In the imperishabl grandeur of her 
Ruins, Ancient Egypt represents the 
most Venerable the most Renowned 
the most Marvelous Civilization of 
Recorded History. 



Immortality 83 

^Q OUBTless many of the Deities of 
^Ul Remote Antiquity were actual 
>^ men, who by superior ability 
and genius became great leaders and 
were afterwards deified. 

On the Conquest of Egypt — Alex- 
ander the Great was accorded Divine 
Honors as the Son of Jupiter Ammon. 

Osiris is said to have been the First 
Ruler in Egypt, and to have reclaimed 
his subjects from a barbarous life, — 
taught them agriculture and enacted 
wise laws. He subsequently traveled 
into foreign lands, spreading wherever 
he went the blessings of Civilization. 

Isis, his wife, instituted the culti- 
vation of grain. She was looked up- 
on as the Goddess of the Earth, whom 
the Egyptians called their Mother. 

The Historian Herodotus states that 
Osiris and Isis were the Principle 
Divinities of the Early Egyptians. 



AMONG the innumerable Deities 
hitherto recognized by the 
Religious World, — those of 
Ancient Egypt, Persia and Hindustan 
were the most powerful, and exerted 
a more widespread and long con- 
tinued Influence than any — either of 
Ancient or of Modern Times. 



^f/T would require volumes to treat 
^1 fully of the Religious and 

v2J Philosophical Systems of Anti- 
quity — we can only touch briefly 
at this time, on points refering to 
the Doctrine of Immortality. 



Brahmanism — derived from Brah- 
ma — supposed Supreme Being — is 
the Religion developed by the Priestly 
Cast among the Hindus. 

It is fully set forth in the Veda — 
their Holy Writ — and as the Veda 
regulates the Legal Social and Polit- 
ical Life of the Hindus — the history 
of Brahmanism is largely involved 
with Hindu Civilization. 

The Sources from which this Relig- 
ious System sprang, like many others, 
are Remote and Mythical. . . Belief 



Immortality 86 

in a Soul and Spirits — Occultism and 
Magic, — were combined with Theo- 
sophical Notions, — Intuition, Divine 
Illumination, and Spiritual Ecstasy. 

These Ideas and Beliefs crystallized 
at length around an Elaborate Ritual 
Fostered by the Priestly Order. 

The Veda represents all these nu- 
merous elements — and their import 
may be only understood in the light 
of their Historical Evolution. 

In a broader sense the Veda, signi- 
fying To Know, are the most Ancient 
Sacred Writings of the Hindus, em- 
bracing all of the Revealed or Canon- 
ical literature of the Brahmans. 

It is made up of Ten Sections or 
Books — added to the Canon at vari- 
ous periods. . . The earliest and 
most important are the Rig- Veda and 
Soma- Veda: — containing more than 
a thousand Verses or Hymns: — many 
of them of great value and beauty. 



Immortality 8y 

The later books are composed of es- 
oteric treatise and metaphysical spec- 
ulations on the nature of things: and 
from their position at the end of the 
Veda they are called Vedanta: a term 
which is also used to designate a 
School of Pantheistic Philosophers. 

The Vedic Period is estimated to 
be about two thousand years before 
the Christian Era. 

^I^'ESS venerable or credible than 
0|J the Veda are a mass of writ- 

^^f ings embodying Sacred Tradi- 
tion: — the most famous of which is 
the Code of Manu. 

There are also two Great Epics: — 
containing a prodigious quantity of 
Religio-Philosophical Lore. . . These 
writings were cotemporaneous with 
the establishment of Buddhism. 

The Code of Manu relates that the 



Immortality 88 

Universe was in a chaotic state: — 
order was brought about by the 
Divine Spirit or Intelligence: — this 
created water by meditation, and from 
water, Impregnated with the Divine 
Force, sprang out a Golden Embryo 
from which Brahma was born. 

Thus engendered, the God Brahma 
is a Personification of the Absolute 
All-pervading World-spirit. 

In later developments He represents 
the Essence of the Universe — from 
whence all things are Evolved and 
into which they are Reabsorbed. 

As a Divine Being He Manifests 
Creative Activity, sharing with Vish- 
nu and Siva, the other two members 
of the Hindu Trinity, in producing 
maintaining and dissolving all things. 

To Know Him is a Step Towards 
the Imperishable and Supreme Soul. 



Immortality 89 

This Universal Soul — the One and 
Only Reality — remains to this day 
the ultimate element of Religious Be- 
lief of Intelligent India, of whatever 
Sect or Philosophy. 

^pfrEDIC Religion is pervaded with 
I I a devout faith in the efficacy 
^r f Invocation, Asceticism and 
Sacrifice. The Hindus believed that 
through these instrumentalities they 
could be raised to the rank of Di- 
vinities — become Gods, and thus ap- 
proach the final goal of Hinduism — 
the loss of Individuality in the All 
Pervading Brahma — or as with Bud- 
dhism in Nervana. 

The attainment of final Emancipa- 
tion depends on perfect knowledge of 
the Divine Essence. . . This knowl- 
edge can only be obtained by complete 
abstraction of the mind from external 



Immortality go 

objects, and intent meditation on the 
Deity, — which of course presupposes 
total extinction of all sensual desire. 

The few who succeed in gaining 
absolute mastery over their senses and 
a full knowledge of the Divine Nature 
become Absorbed into the Universal 
Soul immediately on the dissolution 
of the body. 

Those Devotees, on the other hand, 
who have still a residuum, however 
slight, of ignorance and worldliness 
left remaining in them at the time 
of dissolution, pass to a state where 
their souls, invested with subtile cor- 
porial powers, await reunion with the 
Eternal Being. 

*®jBj««|EEP Thinkers, and Observers of 
J J Nature! — It is evident that 
^*^ the Problems of Existence, — 
the Origin of Man and the Universe, 
— had early engaged the Hindu Mind. 



Immortality pz 

The state of Religious Thought 
among the great Poet Philosophers of 
Ancient India as reflected in the Rig- 
veda, is that of a worship of the 
grand and striking phenomena of 
Nature, regarded in the light of per- 
sonal conscious beings, endowed with 
a power beyond the control of man. 

It is a Nature Worship, more pure 
than met with elsewhere — leading to 
a simple well ordered Pantheon — less 
cumbered with empty Formulas of 
Priestcraft: — representing a stage of 
Religious Development which must 
have preceded Hinduism, — probably 
that of the Aryan Invaders of India. 
* # * * 

Prominent in early Vedic Worship, 
Pantheism, as observed, found its 
most zealous advocates in one of 
the Orthodox Schools of Philosophy 
— the Vedanta — considered Ortho- 
dox inasmuch as recognizing the 



Immortality 92 

Veda as the revealed source of Re- 
ligious Faith — even though involving 
denial of the existence of a Personal 
Creator, and of Survival. 

In fact Speculative Thought came 
to be so prevelant among the Leaned, 
that no attmpt appears to have been 
made by the leading theological party 
to check or prevent the propagation 
of heretical doctrins, so long as the 
rights and privileges of their Cast 
were not openly called in question. 

Yet doubt and dissention on car- 
dinal points of belief, could not but 
weaken the authority of the Hindu 
Hierarchy: — and as these Sceptical 
Ideas spread among the masses, the 
time came when it wanted but a man 
of moral and intellectual power to ren- 
der them fatal to priestly pretentions. 

Such a man arose in the person of 
a Saka Prince of Kapilavestu — Gau- 
tama — recognized as Buddha. 



Immortality 93 



« 



REAT men are products of hu- 
man events — of environment 
— of times and conditions — 
of demand and development. 

* # * * 

Had it only been for the Philosoph- 
ical Views of Buddha, they might not 
have caused much uneasiness to In- 
trenched Orthodoxy. . But he went 
beyond Vedanta Philosophy by deny- 
ing the Existence of the Soul as a 
Substance: — admitting only certain 
Intellectual Faculties as Attributes of 
the body — perishable with it. 

The Institution of Cast was recog- 
nized by Buddha: — yet on the other 
hand he altogether denied the Re- 
vealed Character of the Veda and 
the Efficacy of Ceremonials derived 
therefrom. . He also rejected the 
claims of the Priestly Class to be the 
repositories and divinely appointed 
Tachers of Sacred Knowledge. 



Gautama — " The Enlightened One! ' 



-^J/T is thought in India that a 
^j| Buddha, — meaning in Sanscrit 
^ZJ the Wise, the Enlightened, — 
appears at intervals in the world to 
proclaim the True Doctrine. 

At length this Truth becomes cor- 
rupted and lost, and is not restored 
till a new Buddha appears. 

The last Historical Buddha is recog- 
nized as Gautama. This Pre-eminent 
Ethical Teacher and Reformer of An- 
cient India, flourished some twenty 
five hundred years ago. . His home 
was in the region of India to the 
north of Benaris. . His native town 
was Kapilavastu, modern Kakena, not 
far from the border of Napal. 

Early Tradition states that he was 
born in a Garden, Sacred to the God- 
dess Lumbini — which has recently 
been found to be a Fact. 



Immortalit y 98 

MWrnv HE name of Gautama's father 
III is given in the Sacred Text 
^■^ as Suddhadani, a Chief of the 
Sakys: — and his mother is known as 
Maya. . It is generally thought that 
he was a Prince of Regal Blood. 

His mother died when he was but 
seven days old, and he was entrusted 
to the care of her sister, Maha Pra- 
japata. . As a child he received the 
name Gautama — he is also known as 
Seddatha and Saky-muni. 

We know little regarding his youth 
and education: but abundant Historical 
Facts concerning his early manhood 
and after life, justifies all and more 
of the Ideal and Beautiful — which 
Ledgend has woven into the record 
of his youthful attainments and activ- 
ities, — his Talents and his Virtues. 

Something of this is portrayed in 
Sir Edward Aanold's famous poem — 
The Light of Asia. 






Immortalit y 99 



(i 



AUTAMA was early married to 
his cousin, and had a son, 
named Rahula. . It was 

shortly after the birth of this son, in 
his thirtieth year, when he had ful- 
filled the obligation which the Hindu 
Creed required to be discharged to 
one's ancestors, that he saw the vis- 
ion that led him to devote himself to 
the study of Religion and Philosophy. 

Paternal affection threatened for a 
time to intefere with the divne call. 

At length, however, in a pathetic 
parting from his sleeping wife and 
child, Gautama completed his Great 
Renunciation. . . Leaving home and 
kindred, wealth and power, to become 
a penniless and despised student aud 
homeless wanderer — to take up the 
life of an Ascetic. . . This was the 
mode of proceedure that the Brahman 
faith prescribed — this was the man- 
ner of seeking the Path of Salvation, 



Immortality 100 

AFTER a time Gautama gave 
himself up solely to Medi- 
tation atid Thought — which 
gradually led to the evolution of his 
Religious and Philosophical Theories 
regarding the nature and existence of 
Evil — its origin and its eradication. 

The place where the Light dawned 
upon him is still pointed out. . The 
tree beneath which he was seated has 
ever since been Sacred as the Botree. 

The emancipation of his mind found 
expression in rhythmical stanzas: and 
he found at that moment even while 
alive the perfect peace of Nervana. 

Having thus attained the Buddh- 
ship — Gautama saught the five dis- 
ciples with whom he had been asso- 
ciated: — he wished to first tell them 
of the Great Enlightenment he had 
found: — after that to his kindred — 
and to all mankind. 



/ m m ortality 101 



id 



^JJ^UDDHA'S, or rather Gautama's 
life was a long one — eighty 
years — more than two thirds 
of which was devoted to his ministry. 

The place where he died was near 
Kusinagara, some eight miles to the 
east of his birthplace, and about one 
hundred and twenty miles to the 
northward of Benares. 

A detailed and affecting account of 
his last moments is given in the 
Buddhist Scriptures. 

Several of his Disciples are men- 
tioned as being with him — especially 
the beloved Ananda. 

The most Divine and Lovable Per- 
sonality that ever walked the Earth! 
— The Comradeship and Affection ex- 
isting between Gautama and his more 
immediate Associates was Ideal. — 
Even now, in looking up the Story 
of his Life, one can but become his 
Devoted Follower. 



I m mortality 102 

PROBABLY no person ever lived 
unless it be Confucius, who's 
Thoughts and Teachings are 
more Voluminous than those of Bud- 
dha. And the continual publication of 
Pali Texts, Tibetian Writings, Chi- 
nese Records and Cylonece Accounts 
is adding new Material each year, — 
while fresh Archeological Discoveries 
and Researches are contributing con- 
stantly to knowledge already gained 
regarding His Life and Teachings. 
# * * # 

The Buddha is represented on va- 
rious occasions, during His long Min- 
istry, to have been so much moved 
by some event, that he gave utter- 
ance, as it were, to his pent up 
feelings in short exstetic sentances, 
expressed for the most part, in one 
or two lines of poetry, charged with 
religious emotion, or high ideals of 
life. — A collection of these Gems of 



/ m m o r t a I i t y ioj 

Thought and Deep Sayings of Buddha 
introduced with the words ''Thus was 
it spoken by the Exalted One" consti- 
tutes the richest and most illuminat- 
ing garland of word painting con- 
tributed to Ethical and Philosophical 
Literature in Human History. 
* # * # 

To Gautama's Enlightened Mind the 
cause of all Misery and Sorrow is De- 
sire, — the only relief is to eradicate 
this Lust, and he pointed out and led 
the way. — Wandering up and down 
the Ganges region, the Holy Land of 
India, he continued to impart by pre- 
cept and example the plain tenets of 
Redemption. The purity of his 

life, the gentleness of his manner, the 
earnestness of his teachings, and the 
firmness of his convictions won thous- 
ands to accept his simple creed. — 
Even during his lifetime his doctrines 
spread widely through India. 



Immortality 104. 

^T ORTUNATELY ' abundant Rec " 

n|j] ords of Gautama's Ideas and 
**^ Teachings have been pre- 
served — including his Discourses to 
the five Disciples who first accepted 
his New Found Faith, — in which he 
expounds the main features of his 
System. . . There is no reason to 
doubt its substantial accuracy. 
It is what the Compilers of the old- 
est extant documents believe Gautama 
to have regarded as the most import- 
ant points in his Doctrines. 

It is incorporated into two divisions 
of their Sacred Books, — a few tran- 
scriptions of which are here given. 

In the first of the collection of Dia- 
logues of Gautama, he discusses and 
completely refutes all the current theo- 
ries about the existence of a Soul. 

In the series of Conversations be- 
tween the Greek King Menander and 



/ m m o r t a I i t y /oj 

Magasena — found in the earlier Bud- 
dhist Books — this question of the 
Soul is also taken up, — describing 
how the King is convinced that 
there is no such thing as the Soul, 
in the ordinary sense, — therefore 
no Conscious Immortality. 

# # * '# 

^^ERIIyY — there is no Being — 
I J there is only a Becoming! The 
^r state of every Individual is un- 
stable, temporary — sure to pass away. 

Every person or thing is a putting 
together, a compound, — and in each 
Individual — without exception — the 
relation of their component parts is 
ever changing — is never the same 
for two consecutive moments. 

It follows threfore that no sooner 
has Individuality begun than Dissolu- 
tion also begins. 

There can be no Individuality with- 
out a putting together: there can be 



Immortal it y 106 

no putting together without a Becom- 
ing: — there can be no Becoming 
without a becoming dirrernt: — and 
there can be no becoming different 
without a Dissolution, a passing away 
which sooner or later will inevitably 
be complete. 

* * * * 

Even while matter is becoming Or- 
ganized — becoming an Individual — 
Dissolution and Decay have already 
begun to act. . . In other words 
Destructive action is inseparable from 
Constructive action — operating every- 
where in Nature. 

The constituent parts of every Indi- 
vidual involves Pain: — that is to say, 
the conditions necessary to make an 
Individual are also the conditions that 
necessarily give rise to Suffering. 

Birth is attended with pain: Decay 
is painful; Disease is painful; Death is 



Immortality ioj 

painful: Union with the Unpleasant is 
painful: — painful is separation from 
the pleasant: and any natural Craving 
Unsatisfied — that too is painful. 

In brief, all Human Senses or Sen- 
sations, not only afford Pleasure but 
give rise to Pain. 

* * # * 
Verily ! Sentient Existence is hope- 
lessly Miserable! A Curse rather than 
a Blessing. . . Misery is not a mere 
taint — the removal of which might 
render Existence tolerable — Misery 
is its very essence — relief from which 
can only be found in Nervana. 

# i # * * 
^^fO Be Born is to become Indi- 
I I I vidualized from the Whole: — 
^■^ Individuality implies Limit- 
ation: Limitation implies Error: Error 
implies Ignorance: and Ignorance is 
the source of Misfortune. 

Hcnse Birth is an Evil because it is 



Immortality 108 

inseparable from Ignorance — and it 
is only the removal of Ignorance 
which can lead to the suppression of 
Desire — while only the suppression 
of Desire can lead to Peace. 
* * * # 

Now, this is the Truth as to the 
source of Human Misery: — Verily! — 
It is the Craving Thirst that causes 
the Renewal of Becoming — accompa- 
nied by Sensual Pleasure — and seeks 
satisfaction — now here now there — 
that is to say — the Craving for the 
Gratification of the Senses. 

Now, this is the Truth as to the 
passing away of the Sensual and Sel- 
fish. Verily! It is the passing away 
so that no Passion remains. 

The giving up — the getting rid of 
— the being completely Emancipated 
from, — the Harboring no longer of 
this Insatiable Desire. 



Immortality 109 

^JfHERE are two aims which he 
I I I who has given up the world 
^■^ ought not to follow after: — 
devotion on the one hand to those 
things whose attractions depend upon 
the passions: — a low and pagan idea 
fit only for the worldly minded — ig- 
noble unprofitable: — and the practise 
on the other hand of undue austerity 
which is painful, ignoble, unprofitable. 

There is a Middle Path discovered 
by Sedartha: — a Path which opens 
the eyes and bestows Understnding — 
which leads to Peace to Insight to 
The Higher Wisdom — to Nirvana! — 

Verily! It is this Noble Eightfold 
Path : — that is to say — Right Views 
Right Speech Right Aspirations Right 
Conduct Right Means of Livelihood 
Right Effort Right Mindfulness and 
Right Meditation. 



Immortality no 

^JTO have Traversed the Path and 
I |l reached the Truth: — to have 
^■^ Broken the Bonds, put an end 
to the Intoxications and gotten rid of 
the Hindrances of Life is to have at- 
tained Aratship: — "the state of him 
who is most worthy." — 

The harbor of repose, the cool cove, 
the island amidst the floods, the place 
of bliss, emancipation liberation safety! 

The supreme, the transcendent, the 
uncreated, the imperishable, the un- 
shaken, the abiding, the unending! 

The farther shore, the home of peace 
the calm, the detatchment, the ineffa- 
ble — Medicine for all Evil. — 

Nirvana — ' ' the dying out ' ' — that 
is the dying out of the fell fire of 
the Three Cardinal Sins — Sensuality 
Ill-will and Stupibity! 

Teaching the means of arriving at 
the Other Shore — of reaching Nir- 
vana — is Teaching Virtue. 



Immortality in 

^■■THE Eightfold Path constituting 
I I I the ' ' Middle Way ' ' to Nirvana 
^■^ leading between the two ex- 
treems of sensual gratification and 
asceticism was developed by Gautama 
into a set of practical precepts en- 
joining the various duties of common 
life and of religion. 

They are all intended as a means 
of Counteracting the Chain of Causes 
that Tie Man to Existence. 

Five are of universal obligation: — 
not to kill not to steal not to commit 
adultry not to lie not to be drunken. 

The other five — for those entering 
on the Direct Persuit of Nirvana, by 
embracing the religious life — are to 
abstain from food out of season, to 
abstain from dancing, theatrical rep- 
resentations and songs, to abstain 
from personal ornaments and per- 
fumes, to abstain from luxuries, to 
abstain from taking gold or silver. 



Immortality 112 

Besides the foregoing negative re- 
quirements, there are certain positive 
Virtues, fundamental to Buddhism. 

The more essential of these are 
Love Charity Purity Patience Courage 
Contemplation and Knowledge. 

# * # # 

The life of a Recluse — wholly de- 
voted to the requirements of Religion 
is held to be more condusive to a State 
of Serenity: — but a devout Layman 
who is unable to cast off the ties of 
home or business, is held in higher 
honor, and may yet "Enter the Path. " 

# * =* # 
Much of the charm and force of Gau- 
tama's Discourses is due to repetition: 
— words clauses ideas, are elaborated 
and commented upon. . . Thus not 
content with the prohibition of Lying, 
Gautama enjoins the avoidance of all 
offensive or gross language, or saying 
anything to excite Enmity or Ill-will. 



Immortality 113 

^Jj^OVE and Compassion are the 
dl Cardinal Virtues of Buddhism, 
^^* boundless in their manifesta- 
tions, extending to every living thing. 

This spirit of Universal Sympathy 
and Compassion inculcated by Gautama 
gave to His Teachings a pre-eminence 
over all others. 

He addressed himself to all classes of 
men ' ' to Casts and Outcasts promising 
salvation to all: a sense of duty exten- 
ded from the narrow limits of the house 
the village the country to the widest 
circles of mankind: a feeling of Sym- 
pathy and Brotherhood towards all 
men. The Idea, in fact, of Humanity 
was first propounded by Buddha." 

While in his perfect peace of mind 
the Enlightened man is indifferent to 
pleasure or pain, and unmoved by the 
vicissitudes of life, he is filled with love 
and compassion for everything which 
is still in thrall of Desire. 



Immortality 114 

£jk LL the means used as helps to- 

yfflB% wads doing right avail not the 
** W sixteenth part of the Emanci- 
pation of the heart through Love. 

As a mother even at the risk of her 
own life protects her only son so should 
we cultivate Love without measure to- 
ward all mankind. Let a person main- 
tain this mindfulness all the while he 
is awake, whether standing or walk- 
ing, sitting or lying down. This state 
of mind is the best in the world. 

Our minds shall not waver: no evil 
speech will we utter: tender and com- 
passionate will we abide: — loving in 
heart: — and we will be ever radiating 
our Loving Thoughts. And with this 
feeling as a basis we will ever be suf- 
fusing the whole world with Thoughts 
of Love, far-reaching, grown great, be- 
yond measure, void of anger or ill-will. 
— Thus was it spoken by the Victorious 
One — to whom all Truth is known! 



Immortality zij 

/^\\F the three Cardinal Sins of 
I I ~# Buddhism the last and worst 
^— >s is Stupidity — the others be- 
ing Sensuality and Ill-will. 

Intellectual Alertness, Contemplation 
and Knowledge of Cause and Effect are 
ranked as Virtues in Buddhism, and 
hold a prominent place among the 
means of attaining Nirvana. It is re- 
served in part for Abstract Thought to 
achieve the final step in Emancipation. 

Thought is the highest faculty of 
man: — and in the mind of Eastern 
Philosophy, the highest of all Forces. 
# * # # 

Evil desires low ideals useless crav- 
ings idle excitements, are to be sup- 
pressed by cultivating right desires 
lofty aspirations and Kindly Thoughts. 

The crowning object of existence is 
the extinction of Personality by Self- 
sacrifice Contemplation and Suppres- 
sion of Desire. 



Immortality 116 

Salvation is to be won in this world 
and in this world only by Self-sacri- 
fice Self-culture and Self-control. 

One who engages to lead a life of 
Renunciation, must refrain from all 
converse with Women of Frivolity lest 
any disturbing element should ruffle 
the serene indifference of the mind. 

There is but one avenue to Abid- 
ing Peace: — many have already fol- 
lowed it — have conquered the Lust 
and Pride and Anger of their own 
hearts and found Repose. 

A true Buddhist feels himself free 
and secure: and gladness springs up 
within him: and so rejoicing he is at 
ease and filled with a sense of peace 
and in that peace his heart is stayed. 
* # * # 

He who perceives the Supreme in 
all Nature, and acquires equinimity 
toward all beings, attains the high- 
est state of bliss. 



Immortality ny 

/^f\NE of the most prominent and 
I 1 J interesting names connected 

VJ/^ with the history of Buddhism 
is that of Asaka, King of Magada. 

He was at first a Persecutor of the 
Faith but being converted in a mar- 
velous manner, became a zealous pro- 
moter of the religion: — not however 
as adherents of other systems usually 
prpagate their creeds: — for it is dis- 
tinctively characteristic of Buddhism 
that it has never employed Force: — 
rarely even to resist aggression. 
# # # * 

There exists in various parts of In- 
dia, Decrees in the name of the King 
inscribed on rocks and pillars, incul- 
cating the doctrines of Buddhism. 

A remarkable spirit of charity and 
toleration runs through these Royal 
Edicts. "The King beloved" desires 
to see believers of all creeds living in 
all places. A man ought to honor his 



Immortality 118 

own faith only, but he should never 
abuse the faith of others. . . There 
may be circumstances even when the 
religion of others ought to be more 
honored, and in acting thus a man 
fortifies his own faith. 

Yet alas! Today Proselyting Hoards 
of Ecclesiatics from all Christendom 
seek to destroy this Faith which has 
been for so long, and is still, the 
sole Light of so many millions of hu- 
man beings: — and of which it may 
be said — for Purity Excellence and 
Wisdom it is Unexcelled. 

The Equality of all Men, the open- 
ing of its ranks to all classes, and of 
both sexes, which Gautama sanctioned 
with regard to the final Goal, Nirvana 
— and that Goal to be reached — not 
by Dogmatic Belief or the Practise of 
Penance or Sacrificial Worship, but 
by Practising Virtue, — cannot fail to 
be acceptable to all reasonable people. 



Immortality ng 

^^lUDDHISTS do not conceive of 
fjlij any God or Gods as being 
>•* pleased or displeased with hu- 
man action, or as assigning rewards or 
punishments. The very Idea of a God 
as Creating or in any way Ruling the 
world is utterly absent from the Bud- 
dhist System. God is not as much as 
denied — he is simply ignored! — Con- 
trary to the opinion generally held that 
a Nation of Atheists never existed. — 

It can no longer be questioned that 
the numerous Buddhist Nations of the 
world are essentially Atheistic, for they 
recognize no Being with greater Pow- 
ers than Man is Capable of Acquiring 
by Virtue Austerity and Knowledge. 

Buddha was not a Divinity or in 
any way Supernatural. He was the 
Ideal of what any man may attain 
by a Life of Rectitude. The great 
object of Buddhist worship is to keep 
this idea visible in the eyes of men. 




UCH, in brief, are some of the 
more prominent points in the 
Moral Philosophy of the Great 
Teacher! — Not a word about God or 
the Soul or Futurity: — so simple, yet 
so mighty and far reaching iu results! 

Covering a period of more than two 
thousand five hundred years: — Bud- 
dism is the most extended religion in 
the world today. — Its adherents are 
estimated at upwards of five hundred 
million: — yet until the middle of the 
last century nothing was known regard- 
ing the origin or nature of this great 
World Religion beyond conjecture. 

Shortly after the English occupation 
of India, a large set of writings in San- 
scrit were discovered, forming the Bud- 
dhist Canonical Books. — Other books 
were also discovered in Pali text. 

Copies of these books engaged the 
attention of eminent Oriental Scholars 
in London and Paris: — thus insuring 
their publication to the world. 



The Sage of China 



" What ye would not that others 
should do to you, do ye not unto 
them." 
— Confucius. 



(S 



REAT Ethical Teachers have 
redeemed all generations! — 
The most renowned Sage of 
China — or of the whole world! — 
Confucius appeared at a crisis in Chi- 
nese history: — government had fallen 
into decay, right principles were lost. 

He was born 651 B. C. , in the town 
now called Shan-Tze in the state of Lu 
where his descendants of the seventy 
sixth generation yet live. There was 
no higher lineage in China than that of 
Confucius — his ancestors were kings. 
* * # * 

The father of Confucius, a famous 
officer, died when his son was about 
three years old, leaving his family in 
destitute circumstances: — but the boy 
was most carefully reared and edu- 
cated by his mother. . At an early 
age he gave evidence of extraordinary 
ability, and inclination for learning. 



Immortality 126 

Zg^ONFUCIUS was married when 
I nineteen and had a son. But, 

^^^ like many other great teach- 
ers, notably Gautama, he was not 
well adapted to family or domestic 
life, and after a few years the mar- 
riage was abrogated — yet with no 
impairment of friendship. 

* # * # 

The life work of Confucius began 
when he was twenty two. . . Soon 
a school of young and ingenious stu- 
dents desireous of being instructed in 
the practice of right conduct, gather- 
ed round him. . . From this time 
until his death — a period of fifty one 
years — he led the life of a Teacher. 

# # # * 

His Moral and Ethical Principles. — 
His Devotion to the Practical. — As 
Patriot Sage and Teacher. — He ranks 
among the Foremost Men the world 
has ever seen! 



Im mortalit y 127 

^■yHKOIvOGICO-Metaphysical spec- 
I I I ulation is entirely absent from 
^■^ the Moral Philosophy of Confu- 
cius, which is summed up in the five 
cardinal virtues: — Humanity , Upright- 
ness, Decorum, Wisdom and Truth! 

He was not, as some suppose, a Re- 
ligious Teacher: — in fact, he did not 
concern himself with Religion. His 
Teachings were purely Ethical and 
Political. His attitude towards the 

supernatural ' ' may be inferred from 
his own words, "respect the Gods but 
have as little as possible to do with 
them." — In accord with this posi- 
tion he expressed no opinion concern- 
ing Immortality or a Future Life. 

This expressive silence clearly in- 
dicates disbelief. 

If endless bliss is the reward of 
Virtue, or everlasting torment is held 
in store for Vice — the Sage took no 
heed of the one or the other. 



Immortality 128 

Devoted to Practical Ethics and to the 
welfare of China, as Teacher Writer and 
Magistrate, Confucius at no time pre- 
sented Motives for Right Action drawn 
from considerations of a Future State. 

He recognized the fact that good and 
evil conduct are recompensed by Natu- 
ral Results: — if not in the person of 
the actor yet in his descendants. 

Leading men of China before the Era 
of Confucius did not believe in Future 
Retribution or in Personal Immortality. 

^J^^HE Political disorders of his 
I J times directed the attention of 
^& Confucius to the principles of 
Good Government, and this became 
his most frequent topic of discourse. 
Ethical and Social Science are in- 
debted to him for the emphasis he 
lays on the Power of Example and the 
necessity of Benevolence and Right- 
eousness of all who are in authority. 



Immortality 129 

Studious of Chinese Antiquity Con- 
fucius was impressed with the fact that 
in the good times of the Ancient Kings, 
Peace and Prosperity were found hand 
in hand with Beneficent Government. 

A Wise Ruler, centuries before, had 
eliminated Poverty and Ignorance and 
Evil from the Empire by Personal Ex- 
ample — in cultivating Virtue and ob- 
serving the Rules of Propriety. 

For a State to be prosperous, Mercy 
and all other Virtues are necessary 
and these qualities are to be manifest- 
ed by the entire body of citizens. 

The foundation of all Good is in 
the Virtue of individual men. 
* * # * 

Confucius taught emphatically that a 
bad man was not fit to rule. If a ruler 
was wicked he need not be obeyed; and 
his subjects are free to depose him. 

It only requires virtue in the higher 
position to secure it in the lower. 



Immortality ijo 

^^ROM tne time Confucius was 
$%r recognized as the Sage of his 
*U Country — both in the Family 
and the State — his Precepts and Ex- 
ample have operated as an incentive 
to Good and a restraint upon Evil. 

# * * # 
Among his many Disciples there 

were eighty or more whom he des- 
ignated as Scholars of Extraordinary 
Ability: — the most devoted were 
seldom away from him, and treasured 
up every word he uttered. 

# * # * 

It was doubtless the Moral element 
of his Teaching which attracted most 
of his followers, and still holds Chi- 
nese Men of Learning bound to him. 

But the Concervative and Practical 
tendency of his Ideas, conspicuous in 
most of his Writings, is the great 
reason why Successive Dynasties have 
Delighted to Do Him Honor. 



Immortality iji 

^|44^E form a higher estimate of 
^ J J Confucius from the accounts 
'^ ™ given by his disciples of fa- 
miliar intercourse and talks with them 
concerning the development of person- 
al character, and the manner in which 
all social duties should be performed. 

Foremost among many Wise Pre- 
cepts and Pointed Aphorisms, was his 
Enunciation of the "Golden Rule" first 
Formulated by him 600 B.C., 
* # # * 

For more than twenty five centuries 
the Ideas and Example of Confucius 
have been the Guide and Inspiration 
of the Chinese People. 

There is in China at the present 
time a purpose to have the Philoso- 
phy of Confucius Recognized as the 
Official or State Religion and thereby 
hold the Masses, in this period of 
Political Change, True to the Old 
Standards of Ethics and Morality. 



Immortality ij2 

A Prolific Author, a Voluminous 
Editor, — Confucius was the 
founder of Chinese Literature. 
He instituted four of the "Five Clas- 
sics": the Book of Poems, the Book 
of Rights, the Book of Changes, and 
the Book of Historic Documents. 

His own independent work, aside 
from his Apothegms, which were tran- 
scribed by his disciples, is Spring and 
Autumn — his last Literary Labor. 
# # * * 

There is no Character of Antiquity 
so well known as that of Confucius — 
largely due to the faithful care with 
which his disciples recorded not only 
his Sayings but his Manner of Life. 

The common people have his max- 
ims in memory — hundreds of thous- 
ands repeat them daily. 

The Glory of the ' ' Celestial Empire ' ' ! 
No Intelligent Self-respecting Chinese 
can be anything but a Confucian. 



Immortality ijj 

The Philosophy of Confucius is the 
best guide in the world for Human 
Conduct in all the relations of life: — 
yet it acknowledges no Personality or 
Power above Nature: — and lends no 
support to the Doctrine of Immortal- 
ity: — in brief, it does not Stand for 
Supernaturalism. . . China has no 
use for the Conflicting Creeds and 
Warring Sects of Christendom. 
# # # * 

Time brought universal recognition 
of the great Moral Worth of Confucius. 

When 52 he was made a Chief Magis- 
trate, which gave him a chance to put 
his Theories into Successful Practice. 

His last years were spent in retire- 
ment and Literary Pursuits. When he 
passed away, attention was called anew 
to the Nobility of his Life and Teach- 
ings, so that his Name has ever since 
been the most Honored in China — to 
which he gave his Supreme Devotion. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Jan. 2005 

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